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Environmental Health highlights staffing crunch, UST removal deadline and microenterprise kitchens
Summary
Director Marlena Dooley told the board environmental-health programs are state-mandated, staff are licensed and certified, and the department faces staffing shortages while implementing multiple programs including single-wall underground storage tank removal (SB 445), ocean/beach monitoring and a proposed microenterprise home-kitchen program.
Mendocino County Environmental Health Director Marlena Dooley briefed supervisors on department programs, licensing requirements and near-term priorities.
Dooley said environmental health enforces state-mandated programs for food protection, recycling and organics rules (including AB 341/AB 1826 and SB 1383 implementation), hazardous-materials oversight, solid-waste and water-agency work and septic/land-use permit review. She emphasized field staff require special licensure: becoming a Registered Environmental Health Specialist (REHS) requires a specific science curriculum, on-the-job experience and periodic continuing education.
The department reported two active hires plus two staff preparing to take the REHS exam. Dooley said staffing shortages constrain restaurant inspections and land-use plan review; she asked the board to note that limited staff capacity affects turnaround on some building-permit reviews.
Dooley also highlighted state-mandated single-wall underground storage-tank (UST) removal under Senate Bill 445: single-wall USTs must be out of use and removed by Jan. 1, 2026. Environmental Health is tracking local sites, coordinating state funding options and developing enforcement steps for any facilities that do not comply. Dooley said staff will report progress in CEO reports.
The department is preparing a draft microenterprise home-kitchen program to opt into state law that allows certain prepared foods from private homes with local conditions; staff expect to bring an ordinance to the board in spring. Dooley said the offices are digitizing records (hazmat scanned; Toshiba contract for broader scanning) and continuing ocean and river monitoring programs for harmful algal blooms and shellfish toxins.
Why this matters: Environmental health enforces public-health protections and safety standards that rely on trained staff and state compliance; the 2026 UST removal deadline and staffing levels have practical implications for public health and for regulated businesses.
